Iraqi-origin man grew up in Virginia.
AB Wire
An Iraqi-origin man who grew up in Virginia, Peshwaz Azad Waise, was jailed on Wednesday on a charge of terroristic threat after threatening to impose the death penalty on several people who refused to take copies of the Quran, Denton police say.
Waise, 28, was arrested just after 8 a.m. outside of the Denton County Courthouse after several run-ins with police that morning and the night before, reported NBC News.
Denton police said officers responding to a call for assistance Tuesday night were stopped by Waise, and that he was speaking irrationally and making comments about God and Allah. Since Waise was not in violation of any law, the officers continued responding to the initial call for help, police said.
Police with the University of North Texas were later called to a disturbance at the IHOP restaurant on the southeast side of campus where they found Waise speaking “irrationally.” Police didn’t reveal what he said, but they did confirm he was issued a notice of trespass and asked to leave UNT property.
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, police said Waise told deputies he was “the king” and that he became agitated as he was escorted out of the building and detained. Police said it was then that Waise told the deputies detaining him, “I’m imposing the death penalty.”
He later told the deputies that “anybody who touches me is going to bleed,” according to police.
A warrant for Waise’s arrest was secured and he was taken into custody and transferred to the Denton County Jail on a charge of terroristic threat.
Bomb sniffing dogs and a robot were brought in to search the car of Waise, which had Virginia license plates, but nothing was found.
At this point, it is unclear why Waise was in North Texas as he does not appear to have ties to the area. According to his passport, he was born in Iraq.
Denton Record-Chronicle reported on his Facebook page, Waise writes that he attended Chantilly High School in Chantilly, Va., and graduated from George Mason University in 2010. He lists Washington, D.C., as his current residence. In a brief video on YouTube, he says he supports renewable energy.